Alabama Running Back Derrick Henry: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Alabama was upset By Oklahoma in last night’s Sugar Bowl, dropping to the Sooners 45-31. But a strong performance from freshman running back Derrick Henry has fans and commentators alike thinking the Crimson Tide will soon be turning. Here’s what you need to know about the teenager The Bleacher Report is calling “The Next Great Alabama RB”:

1. He Ran For More Yards Than Any Other Human in High-School Football History

For 59 years, Ken Hall was the coolest kid in the history of high-school, having rushed for a record 11,232 yards in the first four years of the 1950s. Then, in November 2012, Derrick Henry drank his milk-shake. Henry was 102 yards behind Hall before he led his Yulee High team against Perry Taylor County in Florida’s state playoffs. He proceeded to transcend the fabric of space and time that separates our universe from that of Madden 2010 set on Rookie mode, taking 58 carries for 482 yards, and six-touchdowns.

Not one to pass on style points, Henry broke the record on a 52-yard touchdown run you can watch above.

2. He Ran For 100 Yards Last Night…On 8 Carries

As it was for most of us, Derrick Henry’s Freshman year of college wasn’t quite what he’d have hoped. Dogged by injuries, and overshadowed by the consistent play of T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake, Henry only managed 282 yards on 28 carries over the course of the regular season.

Then last night, in the national spotlight, he ran for 100 yards on just 8 carries, including this long 4th quarter touchdown run that brought Alabama within striking distance.

3. He’s Balding

Derrick Henry is not only ahead of his age group at running the football, he’s also precocious at losing his hair. This seems sort of mean and dumb to high-light, but Henry’s male pattern baldness has drawn a lot of attention on the internets, inspiring a post on bar-stool sports titled simply “Derrick Henry’s Hair is Such a Mind Fuck.t”

4. Some Scouts Thought Henry Was Too Big To Be a Running Back

Henry’s hefty 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame, led many recruiters to believe he’d better suited for the position of linebacker or defensive end. ESPN national recruiting director Tom Luginbill saying, “We just don’t feel that he’s a natural running back.”

But it’s precisely Henry’s plus-size dimensions that have his backers so excited, the Bleacher Report writes:

At 6’3″, 238 pounds, Henry is bigger than Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson ever were. He’s just as powerful as either one was during their collegiate days, and surprisingly, he has the breakaway speed to match. This unique, elite skill set makes him a nightmare for defenders. How do you tackle someone this big? How do you keep him from bouncing to the outside and breaking off the big run? In other words, how do you defend the unknown?

5. He Has a Cute Twitter Feed

A quick perusal of Henry’s twitter feed reveals that beneath his hulking exterior, dude’s just a regular kid. His tweets from this past summer tend to be short, emotive requests for company, a girlfriend, and backrubs: